HIEROGLYPH; HIEROGLYPHIC n.
A sacred character; a character in picture writing, as of the ancient Egyptians, Mexicans, etc. Specifically, in the plural, the picture writing of the ancient Egyptian priests. It is made up of three, or, as some say, four classes of characters: first, the hieroglyphic proper, or figurative, in which the representatio…
JALAP n.
The tubers of the Mexican plant Ipomoea purga (or Exogonium purga), a climber much like the morning-glory. The abstract, extract, and powder, prepared from the tubers, are well known purgative medicines. Other species of Ipomoea yield several inferior kinds of jalap, as the I. Orizabensis, and I. tuberosa. False jalap,…
JUMPING p.
of Jump, to leap. Jumping bean, a seed of a Mexican Euphorbia, containing the larva of a moth (Carpocapsa saltitans). The larva by its sudden movements causes the seed to roll to roll and jump about. -- Jumping deer (Zoöl.), a South African rodent (Pedetes Caffer), allied to the jerboa. -- Jumping jack, a toy figure…